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Spatiotemporal and demographic variation in the diet of New Zealand lesser short‐tailed bats (Mystacina tuberculata)657.74 kB
Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Spatiotemporal and demographic variation in the diet of New Zealand lesser short‐tailed bats (Mystacina tuberculata)
Ecology and Evolution, Vol.8(15), pp.7599-7610
2018
PMCID: PMC6106186
PMID: 30151174
Abstract
Variation in the diet of generalist insectivores can be affected by site-specific traits including weather, habitat, and season, as well as demographic traits such as reproductive status and age. We used molecular methods to compare diets of three distinct New Zealand populations of lesser short-tailed bats, Mystacina tuberculata. Summer diets were compared between a southern cold-temperate (Eglinton) and a northern population (Puroera). Winter diets were compared between Pureora and a subtropical offshore island population (Hauturu). This also permitted seasonal diet comparisons within the Pureora population. Lepidoptera and Diptera accounted for >80% of MOTUs identified from fecal matter at each site/season. The proportion of orders represented within prey and the Simpson diversity index, differed between sites and seasons within the Pureora population. For the Pureora population, the value of the Simpson diversity index was higher in summer than winter and was higher in Pureora compared to Eglinton. Summer Eglinton samples revealed that juvenile diets appeared to be more diverse than other demographic groups. Lactating females had the lowest dietary diversity during summer in Pureora. In Hauturu, we found a significant negative relationship between mean ambient temperature and prey richness. Our data suggest that M. tuberculata incorporate a narrower diversity of terrestrial insects than previously reported. This provides novel insights into foraging behavior and ecological interactions within different habitats. Our study is the first from the Southern Hemisphere to use molecular techniques to examine spatiotemporal variation in the diet of a generalist insectivore that inhabits a contiguous range with several habitat types and climates.
Details
- Title
- Spatiotemporal and demographic variation in the diet of New Zealand lesser short‐tailed bats (Mystacina tuberculata)
- Authors
- Zenon J Czenze (Corresponding Author) - University of AucklandJ. Leon Tucker (Author) - Queen Mary University of LondonElizabeth L Clare (Author) - Queen Mary University of LondonJoanne E Littlefair (Author) - Queen Mary University of LondonDavid Hemprich‐Bennett (Author) - Queen Mary University of LondonHernani F. M Oliveira (Author) - Queen Mary University of LondonR. Mark Brigham (Author) - University of ReginaAnthony J. R Hickey (Author) - University of AucklandStuart Parsons (Author) - University of Auckland
- Publication details
- Ecology and Evolution, Vol.8(15), pp.7599-7610; 12
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
- Date published
- 2018
- DOI
- 10.1002/ece3.4268
- ISSN
- 2045-7758
- PMID
- 30151174; PMC6106186
- Copyright note
- Copyright (c) 2018 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
- Organisation Unit
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99575107102621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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- Ecology
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